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Five Tips for Trips

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure, Holiday, planning, trip, trip planning

Whether you want to cross the globe or just get out for a day on your bike, you need to make a plan. It doesn’t matter where, how, or when you’ll do it: even if you are not going for long, just make one.

Here are five tips for planning trips

Prepare everything

Photo from Flickr user: bradleyolin

The time you spend thinking about your adventure will pay off when you are having the adventure. Write it out, type it up, and collect clippings of research. Preparation now will save you hours later. Mind maps are a great way to get your thoughts down, and heeding the advice others will help no end.

Let people know where you are headed

Ideally, leave them a copy of your route and at least tell them the waypoints. For longer trips, inform rescue services and agree times with your family that you’ll be in touch.

Be in contact

Check mobile coverage and wireless access, or set up your radios to make sure you’ll always have a reliable method to get in touch with someone.

Have a backup plan

Ask yourself: What if I get really lost? What if I’m stuck overnight? What if I run out of food? Work all these into each section of your route and you’ll have a solution when you need it most.

Get the right gear – You don’t have to spend thousands, but you do need to have thermal clothing that takes sweat away from your body and warm layers to help keep out on the cold.  And test everything. Even if it’s just a one-day trip, never wear or take anything that you’ve never used before: If you’ve used it a few times, you’ve tested it.

Perhaps the safest thing is to never go alone. But when it comes down to adventures, sometimes you‘ve just got to go…

About the author

Mark Pawlak wrote 194 articles on this blog.

Editor at Adventure Sports Holidays, Mark's love affair with travel and the challenges of adventure sports continues... "You could save all year for a two-week, all-inclusive, doss by the pool, booze and buffet binge. Or, with a little planning and some good equipment, get off your arse and plan an adventure!"

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4 Comments to “Five Tips for Trips”

• 

  mark pawlak December 20, 2010 at 3:49 pm

  Pack in a fury or spend hours preparing, I’m never sure which works best. The last minute pack and plan helps you focus, and if you are experienced your mental tick list always works.
  But given the choice, It’s safer to plan and plan again.
• 

  Graham December 20, 2010 at 4:23 pm

  I would also say check the weather be prepared to change your plans. If the weather is not playing ball do not be pig headed and try to do it anyway if it is going to be dangerous. We hear each year of enough people that ignore weather forecasts and get in trouble as a result.
• 

  Luke December 20, 2010 at 5:36 pm

  When in the scouts we were always told to be prepared. Part of that preparation was having emergency Kendle Mint Cake in our packs. The problem is you give kids a super sweet minty chocolate delight ‘for emergencies’ and it normally gets eaten on the bus before you have even set out on the adventure!

  However drilling into you to always being prepared is great advice.
• 

  Tim B December 23, 2010 at 9:36 pm

  For me its all about the gadgets, you can never have enough. I’ve just spent 3 months travelling through S.America and I wouldn’t have wanted to leave without my laptop, headphones with mic, back up hard drive, web cam, Iphone, wireless mouse, multi-plug adaptor, universal power supply, noise cancelling ear plugs & my Kindle!

  OK so I had to do some work on the way hence some of this kit but every item above I found indispensible!